Precious
by SaoirseParisa
Summary: "Goodness, Sorey's silly, precious grin was making his heart melt into a puddle of goo. Did Sorey intend to overload his senses with cuteness?" Sorey tells Mikleo a secret he's been hiding, and the two of them decide to have a little fun with each other. It winds up becoming, and meaning, so much more than they ever expected. Tickle-fic.


**A/N** : Ummm...hi. So...I wanted to draw Sorey and Mikleo having their signature tickle fight, or write something cute, and this happened. Don't know how it got to be like this silly and tooth-rottingly fluffy, but I am so, so, so proud of how this came out. I hope you enjoy it! If not, that's okay, too!

Oh! This fan fic takes place a couple days before the game/anime actually start, which is why Mikleo claims the tale of the Shepherd is just a legend, just in case anyone gets confused.

* * *

There was no doubting that Sorey and Mikleo were close. More than close. They were practically brothers, even though they weren't actually related. Sorey the energetic, adventurous, and cheery older brother; Mikleo, the calm, worldly, analytical, and composed little brother, always scolding Sorey for his mischief, well intentioned or not. But for them, being together was as natural to them as breathing, and nobody else questioned it. Not even they themselves questioned the bond they had. Seeing the kids play together: playing tag, hide and seek, exploring ancient ruins, tickling each other to pieces, catching bugs, hunting prickle boars...to the seraphs who watched over them, Sorey and Mikleo were perfect for each other, and the bond between them was unbreakable.

Even as they grew older, they remained close. But over the years, Mikleo began noticing things about Sorey that he never did before. Sorey had always been cute, yes, even frustratingly so, at times. His adoring green eyes, sparkling with delight at pretty much everything, were cute. His juvenile features, permanently enthusiastic smile, and merry laughter were cute. His messily tousled brown hair was cute. Everything about him was cute. He would never admit this aloud, not even to Sorey, but his human friend was at his cutest when he was at the mercy of Mikleo's tickle assaults.

He barely made attempts to fight him off most of the time, and they were usually half-hearted attempts, at best. Any time Mikleo's fingers would dance on his sweet spots, Sorey would roar with unrestrained laughter, like a little kid, even though he was seventeen as of now. What was all that about? He wasn't sure.

One day, Mikleo managed to find out what it was that was piquing his curiosity so.

One spring day, torrential rains drowned their village of Elysia in sheets, roaring and puttering on the roofs of everyone's houses. Only the tears of a thousand weeping angels could cause such a treacherous downpour. Little flowers would be squished into the grass, drowning in soggy dirt filled with excess water that they didn't need. Basically, it was a perfect day to just sit inside the house and read.

"Hey, Mikleo! Come look at this!" Sorey called out from in front of his fireplace, lying on his stomach, his green eyes glued to a heavy, dusty book on the floor. The turquoise haired seraph sitting just a couple feet away turned his head in his friend's direction, his calm, violet eyes taking in the dancing flames.

"What's up?" Mikleo didn't feel like walking, so he simply crawled over to Sorey. "More ruins out in the world that we don't know about?"

An illustration in the book Sorey was reading caught Mikleo's attention. An old, ink drawing of what appeared to be a horse with a long, fish-like tail taking up the latter half of its body. Its front hooves, the only hooves it had, were nothing but legs with fins at the end. Even its mane, which didn't have any hair at all, consisted of fish fins.

"Can you believe it?!" Sorey exclaimed, holding the book up with both hands so Mikleo could see it better. "It's a hippocampus! A horse with a fish body and fish fins! How cool is that?!" The water seraph cracked a smile in Sorey's direction. His friend, being Sorey, didn't notice, as excitement at the hippocampus picture made him oblivious. But that was alright.

"As fascinating as they are," Mikleo began, putting a hand to his chin. "They may just be the stuff of legends and myths, like the tale of the Shepherd. They might not be real."

"Awwww," Sorey gave a childish faux whine. "I'd love it if they were real," He added, his smile returning. "Just imagine. Wouldn't it be awesome to ride on hippocampi? Riding across vast oceans and traveling to islands and ruins undiscovered by man since ancient times?"

A hand flew to Mikleo's mouth, covering it. Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach, and they were close to bursting right out. Good lord, Sorey was so cute right now. So, so cute. Mikleo couldn't help but silently curse Sorey for being so sweet and perfect in his eyes.

"Knowing you, you'd probably fall right off and drown," He teased.

"Hey! No I wouldn't!" Sorey argued, whipping his head around to face his seraph friend with a very offended look on his face. Well, he wasn't truly aggravated. Sorey could never be truly upset with Mikleo. He loved the seraph too much to do that. Mikleo would always tease him about how naive and bumbling he could be. He had to at least pretend to be offended, or else it'd ruin the fun.

Not even seeing the smug smirk on his friend's pretty face was enough to make Sorey mad at his friend's teasing.

The two of them exchanged friendly chuckles. But Mikleo's smile faded when he opened his eyes again, seeing a strange look on Sorey's face. Sorey looked down at his book with an almost sheepish expression, averting Mikleo's gentle gaze. His cheeks were slowly donning a dust of rose pink, with some tints of orange thanks to the fire right next to him. This expression didn't belong on Sorey's face.

"What's wrong?"

No answer. Another first. Sorey always answered his questions. Curious, Mikleo laid down on the floor right next to Sorey, his back facing the ceiling. His soft skin warmed by the fire, Mikleo kept his gaze locked onto his suddenly nervous and shy friend.

"Alright, what's eating you? Talk to me," Mikleo inquired. "You know we made a promise not to keep secrets from each other, right?"

"I do…" Sorey buried his face in his arms, the book providing the perfect cover to make everything go dark. "It's...nothing serious, but…" He winced at how insecure and somewhat whiny his voice sounded.

His eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Then why are you acting all shy about it?" Mikleo wasn't going to let Sorey talk his way out of this one. He knew him too well to let him do that.

One of Sorey's hands reached out to his ear, his large fingers fiddling one of the feathers on his beloved ear cuffs. Mikleo smirked. Sorey was nervous as heck, and he was going to find out why whether he liked it or not. For all he knew, Sorey probably got into some sort of trouble with their guardian again. At least, that was one plausible explanation he thought up.

"I...I don't really know how...to tell you this…I mean, it's nothing bad! At least...I don't think it is," Sorey stammered, his sweet face growing more red with every word he choked out.

"Just say it," Mikleo told him in no uncertain terms. "Don't make it all fancy, alright? Just spit it out and you'll feel better."

Both boys sat up, crossing their legs and meeting each other at eye level. Once again, Sorey averted his gaze, staring down at the rug underneath his bare feet. Seeing his discomfort, Mikleo flashed a gentle smile and slipped one of his tiny hands into Sorey's bigger one, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Whatever it is, I won't judge you," He told him in a soft, reassuring whisper. "You don't need to be afraid of telling me. I'm all ears and judgment free."

No one could decline that kind of invitation. Not even Sorey. Thankfully, it proved to be just the nudge he needed. Sorey opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't even know where to start. But he had to start somewhere, somehow. Here goes everything.

"This is gonna be...really stupid to say…" Sorey sputtered, his green eyes flitting in all sorts of directions. "You know sometimes we tease each other and get into tickle fights?"

The turquoise haired seraph smirked. Joyful memories involving childhood adventures and many a good tickle fight rang through his mind. His violet eyes fluttered shut with the good memories he and Sorey shared. Sorey could see it on his face, and he had to admit, Mikleo did have really nice, thick eyelashes. It took all of Mikleo's energy to hold back the urge to make some snarky or teasing remark about Sorey wanting to be tickle tortured.

"Yeah. Go on," He gently insisted. "Take your time."

Sorey gave him a weak smile back, but his body froze, consumed by nervousness. "I…" Spit it out, Mikleo had said. It wasn't hard. Just say it. "You see...the thing is...lately, I've realized that…" Come on, Sorey. Just do it. Finally, he blurted out,"I like being tickled!" Out the confession went, and nothing could take it back. Sorey squeezed his eyes shut, feeling both lighter and heavier at the same time.

"...That's it?" The seraph's turquoise eyebrows met his bangs, and not even he could prevent the ungraceful dropping of his jaw. "Seriously?" Dumbstruck, he could only stare at his friend in disbelief. "That's what's got you all sheepish? You...like being tickled?"

With an undignified groan, Sorey's hands flew to his face, producing a barrier against Mikleo's potential reaction. Oddly enough, there wasn't much time for him to think about it. A chuckle escaped the seraph's lips. Not a condescending, malicious chuckle. A sweet, friendly one. Sorey knew the difference. Already, he could feel his heart subtly growing lighter.

"I…" Sorey sputtered once more, his voice muffled by his large hands. "I don't just like it. I...I actually...really love it. I don't really know how to explain it, like...I found this book lying around, and it talked about how people have likings for stuff, but more than normal," One word crashed into the other. "It said people have...kinks," His cheeks burned hotter, like the flame happily dancing in the fireplace right next to them. Just spitting that word out made him feel like some kind of creep. Then again, he had little knowledge of such matters anyway. "Gaaaahhh! I don't know why I told you this! I probably sound really creepy and dumb and-"

Another merry chuckle from Mikleo cut him off. "That's actually the cutest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

"R-R-R-R-R-Really?" Sorey couldn't take his hands off of his face. Still, his entire being was aflutter with overwhelming, unbridled joy. "You don't think I'm weird?"

"Pfft! Of course you're weird!" Mikleo told him straight. But Sorey could tell this was one of many ways Mikleo showed his affection. Sorey had always been told he was weird, but he always meant it in a nice, joking way, so he never felt offended when he did. He also knew that others wouldn't see him that way, and weird could be interpreted in a derogatory manner as well. "Hey. Look at me."

"I can't!" Sorey stammered, shaking his head.

"It's okay. Come on," His friend's soothing, gentle voice made him remove one hand from his face. Enough for Mikleo to take it back into his own, smaller hand. "You may be weird, and that's alright, but there's nothing weird about you liking being tickled. I can't believe you'd think that, and it really isn't like you to get all anxious about this."

Goodness, Mikleo's reassurances, gentle touch, and his feathery voice were like music to Sorey's ears. Finally letting his guard down, Sorey let his other hand fall to his leg, and he exhaled a huge sigh, like a large weight had been lifted off of him. How could he have doubted his friend from infancy? Mikleo had always accepted Sorey's eccentricities and silliness. Better yet, he liked everything about Sorey, even if he did annoy him sometimes. But that was normal. He was right, it wasn't like Sorey to be anxious about anything. He would always charge into new situations head-on, his green eyes glimmering with excitement and the thrill of discovery, oftentimes not considering what would happen if he didn't think things through.

The brown haired man's lips quivered into a relieved smile. "Thanks, buddy. I shouldn't have worried so much…"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have. For a moment, you had me thinking you got in huge trouble with Gramps again."

The two boys chuckled at the thought. "For once, I'm not in trouble with Gramps, so no need to worry about that, Mikleo."

"Yeah. I think it's kinda sweet and endearing," Mikleo whispered once Sorey regained his composure. In Mikleo's eyes, the man in front of him was always sweet and endearing. Cute, even. Now was no different. Still, images of Sorey on the floor laughing, with Mikleo on top of him and tickling him silly ran through his mind. His heart began to hammer, and more than anything else, he wanted to make those silly daydreams a reality.

Sorey could see his friend's subtle smirk from a mile away. Years of spending time with him helped him figure out what Mikleo was thinking with every facial twitch he made. "Ohhhh boy. I know what you're thinking," His whole body shivered, even though he, Mikleo, and the entire house were warm from the fire. Sorey thought his face couldn't get any redder.

"Are you...in the mood for it now?" Mikleo's eyelashes fluttered sweetly, and his voice dropped to a soft, sultry purr. "Would you like me to do it? If not, that's okay. I understand."

He was wrong, wrong, wrong. Unable to resist that sweet invitation, Sorey's hands flew back to his face. But he was able to respond with a very slow, subtle nod that not everyone could see. Mikleo saw it plain as day. In fact, Sorey had been silently aching to be tickled for a long time. About a month, to be exact. The feeling of Mikleo's soft fingers stroking his skin, exploiting his weak spots, had always been strong in his mind. To Sorey, Mikleo's touch was the most wonderful sensation in the world. Already, he found himself craving those gentle but electrifying fingers on his skin. No, he was starving for them.

"...Yes, please."

Shy Sorey. What a cute sight. For Mikleo, at least. The smirk on his face didn't budge, even once. "You get points for asking nicely."

The smaller seraph crawled over to Sorey, putting his little hands on his chest, gently pushing him to the floor. Sorey made sure not to lie down on his book, as he didn't want to accidentally rip or wrinkle up the pages. With the torrential rains serving as soothing background music, the two boys were all alone to their own devices. Sorey was down on the floor, lying on his back, with a very amused Mikleo holding himself up over him, his skinny legs straddling Sorey's hips, preventing any chance at escape.

No words needed to be exchanged. Somehow, Mikleo knew what Sorey wanted. After all, Sorey was right below him, gazing up at him with his adoring green eyes, not looking worried in the slightest. It was as though Sorey absolutely trusted him with every fiber of his being, and he did. Both of their hearts were aflutter, both with adoration and anticipation of what was to come.

"If it gets to be too much, let me know and I'll stop. Okay?" Mikleo told him. As much as he wanted to give Sorey what he wanted, even something like this could go wrong, and he didn't want to do anything that would hurt his friend. He would feel so bad if he did.

Sorey shut his eyes, flashing his signature goofy grin. "I can handle it."

It was Mikleo's turn to grin, only his was more mischievous and devious. "I'll bet you can't handle two seconds of it."

Oh, Mikleo. Always wanting everything to be a competition. Then again, Sorey was the one who usually instigated them. But oh well. Tonight was going to be a fun night. He sure hoped so. His skin was already tingling with anticipation, and the sight of his childhood friend hovering over him, with his cute mouth curled into a smirk, made something warm pool inside of him. He could see Mikleo's violet eyes scanning any exposed skin his sleepwear would show him, laying right open, ready to be caressed. Practically begging to be touched.

First, Mikleo began by stroking Sorey's spiky, chocolate colored hair with one hand, gently running his dainty fingers through the soft strands. Sometimes, the tips of his fingers would spider across Sorey's scalp. Sorey hummed happily as he was pet, his cheeks turning a sweet shade of pink again, this time with delight, rather than embarrassment. Then said hand traveled down to one of his soft cheeks, stroking them so gently, the tips of his fingers felt like feathers. Sorey pressed his lips together, holding back any laughter that dared to come bursting right out. It just felt so good, so light, so...tender.

The seraph could see Sorey's whitening lips plain as day. "Let's get you laughing, shall we?" He cooed, making absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that he was teasing the man underneath him.

Before Sorey could even react, a set of small, dainty hands caressed his chin, and nimble fingers danced across the tiny stubble that was still growing. That proved to be enough to make Sorey squeeze his eyes shut and force a light titter out of him, even as he turned his head to the left to protect one spot. Too bad it left the other half of his chin wide open for Mikleo's fingers to dance on. Sorey's nose scrunched up, and his smile grew bigger with his titters evolving into giggles.

"Oh yeah. You're enjoying this," Mikleo mused, doing an internal victory dance. But both he and Sorey wanted more. Mikleo wanted to drive Sorey insane. Turn him into nothing but an incoherent, writhing, laughing mess, and he could tell that was what he wanted, too. On the other hand, there were two things he wanted to do. Now seemed to be a good time to try them out.

With his index finger, Mikleo gently tapped the tip of Sorey's nose. "Boop."

"Hehehe," Sorey chuckled. "Somehow I knew you were gonna do that."

Mikleo's eyebrows waggled. "Did you," He didn't phrase it as a question. Next, he lowered his face so close to Sorey's, their noises almost touched. Mikleo could even smell Sorey's breath a little bit. His nostrils caught the faint scent of roasted prickle boar meat. Dinner from earlier this evening. Of course Sorey hadn't brushed his teeth yet. Before Sorey could ask what he was doing, the water seraph shook his head left and right, nuzzling his small nose against Sorey's bigger one.

That drew out a bigger laugh than stroking his chin did. "Hey! An eskimo kiss!" Sorey exclaimed once he stopped laughing.

It was Mikleo's face that turned pink this time. The delight was as noticeable as a bright red flower in a sea of white roses. "I won't lie, I've actually always wanted to do that."

"Heeheehee!" Sorey smiled bigger this time. "That felt nice."

Deep in his heart, Mikleo hoped that Sorey was enjoying everything so far. He could see that his friend was, judging from his lack of verbal and bodily protest. Maybe he was deliberately keeping himself still or something, Mikleo assumed. But goodness, Sorey's silly, precious grin was making his heart melt into a puddle of goo. Did Sorey intend to overload his senses with cuteness? He always did have that effect on people. Anywhere Sorey went, he always seemed to bring out the best in people, especially Mikleo. He knew this all too well.

"You haven't felt anything yet," Mikleo whispered in a light, teasing tone. "I'll bet you can't stand more of what I have to offer. You probably won't even survive five minutes."

"Wanna bet?"

The corners of Mikleo's lips turned upward, more than usual. His brown haired friend shivered as he saw the devious glint in the seraph's violet eyes. "You are SO asking for it, and I am SO gonna have you laughing hysterically by my hands!"

Without hesitation, Mikleo grabbed Sorey by the wrists and hoisted his arms upward, keeping them parallel to Sorey's head. Afterward, he placed his dainty fingers on Sorey's underarms, drumming them lightly. Sorey's hands managed to grip a large pile of books, so he kept his hands on them as much as possible, allowing Mikleo to send ticklish jolts all throughout his arms. Merry giggles and a couple snorts here and there escaped his lips.

"M-M-Mikleohoho! Pfffft!" Sorey let out a shriek, as he always did when he and Mikleo had their tickle fights. It was so shrill and unmanly, as it always was, that even Mikleo couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped through his own mouth.

"Oooooh. Is somebody ticklish?" Mikleo crooned, reveling in watching Sorey squirm left and right.

"It t-t-tickles…"Sorey squeaked out.

Then he looked down, noticing that all the friction he was causing was making Sorey's shirt move upward, revealing some bare skin, his navel included. Oh yes. The perfect gold mine. Abandoning Sorey's underarms, Mikleo's fingers made their way down to his friend's captivating abdomen, happily wiggling and scuttling across it, both horizontally and vertically. He made them go in all directions, even in circular motions, sometimes alternating from soft, tender strokes to unrelenting finger assaults. Sometimes, he would even have them sneak further up Sorey's shirt, allowing them to scamper across Sorey's ribs.

At the very moment the seraph's fingers collided with his skin, Sorey lost all sense of self-possession and found himself roaring-no, _screaming_ -in peals of laughter. It was as if an explosion had occurred, his laughter being the blast itself. Unable to control his bodily reflexes, his arms suddenly pushed on Mikleo's shoulders in a weak attempt to push him off. Obviously, it didn't work, and Mikleo kept himself right on top of Sorey. No way was he going to stop, no matter how hard Sorey tried to escape. It was as if the world had decided to change its orbital direction, and both were completely fine with it.

"Goohoohood lohohorrrd!" Any attempt Sorey made at holding back laughter was futile. He could only lie on his back helplessly, arching his stomach upward, as Mikleo's fingers raked across his sensitive abdomen. His legs kicked up and down, drumming on the floors beneath him. His arms kept on trying to push Mikleo off, again to no avail, and his laughter was so weirdly high pitched, so unrestrained, so full of joy. But the seraph could tell that Sorey wasn't putting any effort into retaliating. If he really wanted to get away, he'd have done so by now. He was actually a lot stronger than he was displaying. It certainly helped that Sorey's stomach kept arching upward, as though we was arching into the touch.

Oh yeah. Mikleo could practically smell his enjoyment.

"Does that tickle? You like that?" The seraph's voice had a soft but devious lilt to it, as if he was very much enjoying doing this to Sorey.

"I dohohoho! Gohohod, does it tickle!" Sorey roared once again, bending his head back.

"Well, now _this_ is adorable," Mikleo teased, his assault not stopping anytime soon. Sorey's abdomen seemed to jump up and down with every finger movement. He absolutely could not resist to say what came to mind next. "Does cute widdle Sowey got a ticklish tummy?" He changed his voice to something uncharacteristically cutesy-wootsy, obviously to tease Sorey further. It was working like a charm. If it was possible for his smug smirk to get even bigger, Mikleo's mouth was cutting right through his cheeks right now. "Tickle tickle tickle."

"Shut uhuhuhup! Dohohohon't talk to me like I'm a baby!" Sorey shrieked, not really meaning it. As unbearable as his friend's tickle attacks were, he couldn't deny that they also felt amazing, almost electrifying, with Mikleo's playful teasing sending his heart aflutter. He might as well have been in heaven.

"Aren't you precious," Mikleo stuck his tongue out.

Sorey gasped, and his whole body tingled in anticipation. Oh no, the tongue sticking out. That could only mean…

There was no escape. Mikleo shifted himself further down, with his face towering over Sorey's exposed abdomen. Taking in a deep breath, Mikleo buried his face into the skin, blowing his sticky wet tongue into it. Sorey howled, throwing his head back, deep into the carpeting as Mikleo vibrated his tongue on his abdomen, going full raspberry attack on his sweet spot, just a little below his navel. Charged from the playful gesture, Sorey's arms finally clutched the top of Mikleo's white shirt. His legs couldn't move or drum, as Mikleo's body held them down, leaving him with no room to even wiggle them.

On impulse, Sorey suddenly sat upright, knocking Mikleo to the floor, right on his back. Instead of running away, the brown haired youth simply turned over, clutching his tingling stomach and reveling in the chance to breathe. Too bad Mikleo wasn't a quitter. The turquoise haired youth jumped right back onto Sorey. This time, he straddled his waist with both legs once more, eyeing the exposed curve of his friend's back and placed both hands on the skin, gently trailing his fingers up and down his spine. Sorey melted under his touch, and his vociferous laughing from before died down into cute, merry giggles and chortles. Goodness, he didn't want this to stop yet. He wanted Mikleo to continue.

His evil grin melted into a soft, tender smile. "You're cute when you're all helpless and exposed like this," Mikleo crooned, wiggling his slender fingers teasingly across Sorey's ticklish back.

All he got in response was muffled snickering, muffled because Sorey covered his mouth with one hand. His other hand clutched a book that was close by.

Mikleo looked down at the rest of Sorey's body. Namely, his slender legs. Sorey was wearing his sleepwear, which consisted of a sleeveless black shirt and blue shorts that went just a little above his knees. The back of his knees were completely exposed. As far as Mikleo knew, that was unexplored territory. Perhaps it was time to change that. Skipping over his friend's rear, the seraph crawled backward to position himself better, using one hand to hold Sorey's lower leg down. The other hand went right for the back of his left knee, his fingers fluttering across the vulnerable, ticklish skin.

"Pfffft!" Unable to hold it in anymore, Sorey's hand came flying off of his mouth. If Sorey's face was a volcano, he was erupting all over the place, with his laughter being the lava pouring out, and his face. Was. On. Fire. "Mikleoooohohohooo!"

"Admit it. You're enjoying this," Mikleo teased once more. Actually, he could see that Sorey was enjoying this immensely. He just wanted to hear him say it.

"Yehehehes I ahahaham!"

"Are you getting flustered?"

"Dohohohon't you know it!"

"This is what you get for being cute," Mikleo said honestly. Sorey really was so cute, laughing like this.

"I've had enoooooough!"

Enough? "Can't handle anymore? I haven't gotten to your feet and neck yet."

"I'm dohohohohone! Please stohohohohop!" Sorey begged and pleaded like a helpless child, his voice getting higher and more hoarse. Yep, he was desperate.

As much as they both wanted to continue, neither wanted Sorey to die from laughter. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Mikleo finally ended his merciless assault. He crawled off of a heaving, panting Sorey, giving him some quiet and relief. Sorey inhaled and exhaled, taking in huge breaths of air like he had never learned how to breathe before, Mikleo's hands finally vanishing from his now hypersensitive skin. Now, Sorey's whole body was tingling, itching, and electrified, and it all felt so, so good. Mikleo simply stayed where he was, giving Sorey some space.

Operation: Turn Sorey Into an Incoherent Giggly Mess was a roaring success.

"Well, that was fun," Mikleo mused.

Once Sorey finally caught his breath, he flashed his enthusiastic grin. "Yeah. Very fun," Sorey turned over, sitting back up, just like before the whole tickle affair commenced. "Hey. If you don't mind...can I have a turn with you?"

It was Mikleo's turn to blush furiously. "Are you kidding me?! _You_ wanna tickle _me_ now?!"

"Pleeeeease?" Sorey begged, flashing his adoring, puppy-like eyes at his seraph friend. Oh dear, the puppy eyes. No matter what Sorey asked, Mikleo could hardly say no, even if he himself didn't have a kink for this like Sorey did. Still, the times they did have their tickle fights as kids...they were still nice, and Sorey's hands making contact with his skin did feel nice. "I'll be gentle, I promise. Consider it a thank you for not hating me over this."

His grin returned. "I do like a show of gratitude," He heaved a low sigh. "Alright. But just for tonight, okay? I'm not that into it like you are."

Sorey's grin got bigger, stretching into his cheeks. "Yaaaay!" He cheered, doing an internal victory dance. "You're the best, Mikleo! I'll do you proud!" Without warning, Sorey's arms suddenly squirmed right underneath Mikleo's back and knees. Then he stood up, taking the confused seraph right up with him, carrying him bridal style.

"So-Sorey?! What are you-?!" No answer, as the brown haired man ambled over to their bed before sitting down. Once he was comfortable, the man positioned Mikleo so that the seraph was sitting right on his lap, facing away from Sorey. Before Mikleo could question what was happening, a set of strong, warm arms wrapped around him, embracing him from behind. A familiar nose and mouth nuzzled the seraph's turquoise hair.

"Mmmm...so soft and fluffy…" Sorey murmured in a very soft, tender voice that sent a shiver all through Mikleo's body. A squeak escaped the seraph's mouth as a large hand snuck past the hem of his white shirt, gently stroking the tender skin on his belly. Mikleo didn't move, even a millimeter. Not even as Sorey's breathing made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Before long, the large fingers drumming on Mikleo's abdomen increased their momentum. Not even the normally composed, analytical seraph could hold back laughter, as a cute giggle escaped his lips. One twitter came after another, each one louder and cuter than the last, with every gesture Sorey made: nibbling his neck, blowing a raspberry on it, Sorey's fingers stroking his sensitive sides, breathing on his ears...now Mikleo was beginning to see why Sorey liked it so much.

"You're so cute, Mikleo," Sorey whispered right next to his ear, as soft as he could muster. "There's so much to like about you," Mikleo's face turned redder with every word his friend spoke. But unlike with Sorey, Mikleo's laughter was more subdued and restrained. Still, his cute giggles spurred Sorey to go on, his large fingers continuing to drum on the seraph's soft flesh. "You're beautiful."

"Am I really?" Mikleo asked, unable to hold back a chuckle.

"You're sweet," Sorey positioned Mikleo so that he was on his lap horizontally this time. Their eyes met, and the brown haired youth could see the delight on the seraph's face, no matter how hard Mikleo tried to hide it. Goodness, the seraph's grin was so cute and sweet. "You're a wonderful friend," Sorey nuzzled his nose against Mikleo's, returning the eskimo kiss from earlier.

"Heeheehee!" It wasn't like the seraph to lose himself in merry laughter. He was always punctual, composed, and even stoic sometimes. But even he could lose himself in Sorey's charm. To him, the brown haired youth was always adorable, even puppy-like. Now, it was like he had changed into someone who could melt his heart into goo with just a whisper. It was working like a charm.

"I love how you keep me in line."

Mikleo chuckled again. "Somebody has to. You couldn't possibly survive on your own."

One hand locked around Mikleo's abdomen, while Sorey moved one hand to his neck, his fingers spidering and fluttering across his pulse point. The seraph burst into peals of laughter. Once again, Sorey leaned even closer, burying his face into Mikleo's hair and snuggling with the thick locks, eliciting more shrieks and laughs.

"You're so precious," He whispered right into Mikleo's ear, tickling it with his breath as he cherished the wonderful sound of his friend becoming a volcano of uncontrolled giggling. He didn't flinch, even as Mikleo's hands miserably pushed against the arm around his abdomen and his thin legs kicked up and down, drumming against his own bulkier ones.

"Shut uhuhuhup!" Mikleo shrieked, not really meaning what he said. In fact, his body yearned for more. More compliments, more coos and whispers, and more of Sorey's gentle touch. He still squirmed, but instead of trying to break free, he wiggled into Sorey's body.

"I don't know where I'd be, what or who I'd be without cute little you," He cooed affectionately. The hand that tickled his neck returned to Mikleo's face, and his index finger gently tapped the tip of the seraph's nose. "Boop."

"Copycat," He shot a disgruntled look in Sorey's direction.

No amount of affectionate faux-angry glares or disgruntled looks could rid Sorey of his current playfulness. He still had to explore his favorite parts of Mikleo. "You have an adorable laugh," His hand returned to his stomach, gently stroking it back and forth, as though he was massaging it. Mikleo closed his eyes, taking in the tingling sensation his friend's hands showered on his abdomen. He hummed as he was pet, losing himself in bliss.

Another hand curled around Mikleo's legs. Sorey hoisted them right up, and now the seraph was spread completely across him, no longer sitting on his lap. Before Mikleo could question it, Sorey crawled over to the seraph's bare feet, wrapped one arm around his ankles, and allowed his fingers the pleasure of fluttering across the top of both his toes and feet. If Mikleo was laughing out loud before, he absolutely exploded the minute Sorey's fingers spidered the top of his feet and toes.

"Sorehehehey! Cut it ohohohout!" Mikleo howled, slamming his fists on the comforter beneath him.

"And best of all...the fact that you've put up with me for eighteen years straight says a lot about how much you think of me," Sorey cooed once more, his merciless attack on the seraph's feet only just getting started.

Mikleo squeezed his eyes shut, allowing himself to be completely lost in Sorey's touch. It all felt so good. Now he saw what Sorey liked about being tickled so much, more than he ever thought. In fact, he wanted more. He wanted Sorey to continue being playful in the soft way he was doing right now and to tickle him silly. He wanted Sorey to keep on cooing in that soft, gentle whisper, keep telling him how absolutely cute he was, and keep treating him like something fragile, like a newborn infant.

In a way, he suspected that Sorey had wanted the opposite. Sorey wanted to Mikleo to tease him, taunt him about his liking, exploit every weak spot he had without mercy, baby him about it, and drive him completely insane. All of which he did, of course. Still, this felt nice. So, so, so nice. Mikleo felt so safe in Sorey's arms. Warm and safe from the harsh rains outside.

All of a sudden, the drumming on his feet stopped. An arm wriggled underneath Mikleo's back, and Sorey lifted him up, holding him close. Mikleo's face rested on his friend's shoulder, his cheek nuzzling against Sorey's warm, flushed ones. The brown haired youth had trapped the smaller boy into a warm hug, and another hand ran through the seraph's hair, once again stroking the soft strands.

"Thank you, Mikleo."

"For what?"

"For everything. For being you. For being awesome and for being my adorable friend."

Sappy as heck. That was what Mikleo thought. Still, it felt so nice to be in Sorey's comforting arms. Mikleo hummed as he let himself rest into Sorey's chest. _'I should be the one telling you that. Sorey...I'd die for you if I had to make the choice,'_ He thought. There was no way he'd actually tell him that. Instead, he quiped, "You're such a sap. By the way, are you done?"

"Yep," With that, their session was over. "You're a really good tickler, you know that?"

Mikleo smirked, burying his face deeper into Sorey's nightshirt. "Glad to hear you acknowledge my awesomeness. You've got a pretty good knack for it, too."

"Thanks," No matter how he phrased his compliments, Sorey always appreciated any praise Mikleo had, even disgrunted ones. "You can tickle my neck and feet next time."

"Hmph. I'll be looking forward to it," With that, the two boys fell into the bed, cuddling and nuzzling before sleep overtook them both. When the night passed, the harsh rain finally ceased, and all of Elysia was illuminated with the fresh sunshine of a brand new morning, heralding a new day to come.


End file.
